Ruth Buiza

Peruvian environmental leader advancing Indigenous climate solutions

Ruth Buiza is a Quechua environmental activist and engineer whose work bridges traditional Andean knowledge with modern climate science. As director of Pachamama Alliance, she leads reforestation projects using ancestral agroforestry techniques that sequester carbon while preserving biodiversity. Her initiative in the Peruvian Amazon has planted over 5 million trees while creating sustainable livelihoods for Indigenous communities.

Buiza developed the 'Living Forest' methodology combining satellite monitoring with Indigenous territorial management systems. This approach was adopted by the Peruvian government's National Climate Change Strategy in 2018. She also co-founded the Indigenous Climate Action Network, connecting 200+ Amazonian communities to global climate funds. Her work was highlighted in the UNDP report Traditional Knowledge and Climate Adaptation in the Andes, demonstrating how Indigenous practices can sequester 30% more carbon than conventional reforestation methods. Buiza's TEDx talk "The Forests That Remember" has been viewed over 2 million times, amplifying calls for Indigenous-led climate solutions.